Springing for railway trucks



May-27, 1941- c. D.-BARRETT ET AL. 2,243,411

SPRINGINCTv FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS Filed Oct. 26. 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I III||||||||I| May 27, 1941- c. D. BARRETT E1- AL 2,243,411

SPRINGING FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS Filed oct. 2e, '1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 4 W1 TNEssEsL- A TTORNE YS.

Pate'ntedifMay 27, 1941 t OFFICE SPRINGING FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS Charles D. Barrett and Charles R. Whitehead,

Alto

ona, Pa.

Application october as, 1940, serial No. A362,916

2 Claims.

This invention relates to springing for railway' trucks and the like, and especially bolster trucks with leaf springs extending lengthwise in hollow bolsters. We have hereinafter explained the invention as applied in a truck of the general type disclosed in our Patent No. 1,199,907, granted May 7, 1940, Thus applied, the invention facilitates and cheapens the manufacture ofthe bolster and of the leaf springs, as well as the assemblage of the parts. Various other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of species or forms of embodiment, and from the drawings. All the features and combinations described or shown are of our invention, so farl as novel; and it will be understood that various such features or comq binations may be used separately fromv the rest, and in trucks quite different from that here illustrated.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a railway truck side frame showing the end of thebolster and vthe inner leaf springs within it, as well as a nest of coil springs under the bolster; Fig. 2 shows a partial longitudinal section through the bolster and the associated spring plank, taken as indicated by. the line ,and arrows II-II in Figs. 3, .the truck side frame appearing in cross section; Fig. 3 shows a, horizontal section through the bolster, taken substantially just below its top wall; Fig. 4 shows a cross section through the bolster and leaf springs, taken substantially as indicated by the line and arrows IV--IV in Fig. 2, on a larger scale than the preceding figures; and Fig 5 is a tilted view of the spring support which is shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, on a larger scale than Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectionalv view of a portion of the `bolster and an associated spring support, taken similarly to Fig. 2, but on a. larger scale, and showing a modified construction; and Fig. 7 is a tilted v iew of the spring support shown in Fig. 6, on a larger scale.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, there is shown a cast steel truckframe Ill including the upper compression member II, the lower tension member I2, and struts I3 interconnecting these members at either side of the bolster window, and providing guideways for the end of the hollow bolster I5, which has guide shoulders I8 to engage said guideways. There is also shown a spring plank 'II- (of channel section) resting on the bottom I2` of `the bolster window of the side frame III, and connecting this side frame to they opposite side frame, not shown. In the bolster window (oidos-197.1)

under the hollow bolster end is shown a group or nest of helical coil spring sets I8, I9, arranged in two fore and aft rows' at opposite sides of the central vertical plane of the side frame Ill,- though, of course, the number and arrangement of' the springs may be varied as desired. Each side of the bottom wall of the bolster I5, while ther Vdescribed hereinafter.

the smaller spring sets I9 are shown engaged around circular yprojections 22 on the bottom wall of the bolster. The lower ends of the spring sets I8 and I9 may be similarly or suitably engaged with a spring plate 23 which may rest on the spring plank Il at the 4bottom of the bolster window, and may be interlocked with this spring plank by the usual projection and socket means (not shown).

As thus far described, the truck corresponds essentially to the standard A. A. R. side frame and bolster construction.

Inside the hollow bolster are leaf spring means 25, shown as multi-leaf semi-elliptic springs, which in the present instance act in parallel with the helical springs I8 and I9 under the bolster end. Two such multiple leaf springs 25, 25 are shown, arranged alongside one another at opposite sides of a longitudinal vertical web 26 in the outer end of the bolster I5, andextending substantially lengthwise of the bolster, but diverging from one another slightly from their closely juxtaposed inner ends outward toward the (open) outer' end of the bolster. The web 26 interconnects the upper and lower walls of the bolster and thus strengthens it, and also forms separate compartments for the 'springs 25, 25. The springs 25, 25 may be attached to the bolster I5 by their inner end portions in such a way as to permit these portionsto bend, while their outer ends are free in the bolster. As here shown, the springs 25, 25 bear upward against intermediate bearing seats 21, 21 on the upper wall of the bolster, about under its side bearing 28 and at mid-length of the springs, and they bear downward at their inner endsagainstI a lower end bearing support 30, which will be fur- Each upper seat 21 may have a concave cylindrical-bottom surface I9 are arranged substantially conforming to a cylindrical surface on the corresponding spring strap 3I, and the sides of this strap 3| may t loosely between bearing surfaces or pads 32 on the sides of the correspondlng spring compartment of the bolster I5. The

' outer end. of each spring 25 bears downward against a supporting member or saddle 33 inside ment of our present invention (as here illusthe outer hollow bolster end, between upstanding side flanges 34 of this saddle. The bent outer end of each spring 25 engages and conforms to 35 on the saddle 33, whose axis may extend-at right angles to .the length of the spring, and very nearly in the fore and aft vertical central plane of the whole group of springs I3, 'I 9, and

of the side frame I0.

The bearing members or saddles 33 vare preferably supported from the side frame I3 independently of the coil springs I3, I3, and preferably from the side frame member I2 at the bottom of the bolster Window. As shown, these supporting members or saddles 33 rest on upright struts or columns 3G whose lower ends .bear or rest against said member I2,or, more properly, rest in sockets in a supporting plate 31 which itself rests on the spring plate 23 and hasone or more bottomprojections 33 engagedA in one or more corresponding openings in the plate 23 and in the spring plank II. The upper encl of the struts or columns 33 extend loosely through openings in the lower lwall of the bolster I5,"and ena fore and aft cylindrical-surfaced bearing ridge trated) in the lateral support 30 for the leaf springs 25, 25, at their inner ends.

As best shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, lthis support 33 comprises a separate transverse'bar extending across the interior of the bolster between its side walls, and having its ends detachably mounted on thesewalls, vpreferably by socketed engagement with supporting means on the Walls. For thisV purpose, the bolster side walls are shown provided with inward projecting lugs I3, 43, andthe ends any intermediate support. When the -bar 33 is 1in place, its ends ilt (with small clearance) be' tween projecting pads I2, 42 on thebolster side gage in shallow sockets in the lower sides'ofthe sunicient clearance around the struts or columns to permit some movement of the members 33 transversely of the truck', as required -by the slight bending of the springs 25 as theA bolster I5 moves Yup and down. Thus the outer ends ofthe springs 25 do not rub across the cylindrical bearing surin the bolster I5. In the present instance, there faces 35'of the saddles 33, andvwear at this point is minimized. As the coil springs I3,- I3 act directly against the Ibottom of the bolster I5 and are quite stii transversely of their own axes, they tend to stabilize the bolster transversely of the truck, thus reducing and minimizing the pressure or wear on the bolsterguiding surfaces at I3 and I3.v As here shown, the supporting struts or columns ,36 are Ilocated in the longitudinal central fore and aft plane of the spring group and of the side frame III, Ibetween the inner and outer fore and aft rows of springs I3, I3. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each bearing member or saddle 33 may have an upstanding ridge or lip 33 that coacts walls; so that when putting the bar in place, there is plenty of clearance to permit moving the bm' 33 about inside the bolster after'its introduction thereinto through suitable openings I3 in the bolster walls. Bearing means Il for 'latl erally 'engaging both springs 25, 25 may be removably mounted on the supporting bar 33, consisting as here shown of longitudinal linersor bars seated and engaged in corresponding grooves formed by lugs I3 upstanding from the top of the bar 33. The bar 33 mayV have an upstanding -middle lug Il that separates the inner ends of the leaf springs 25, 25, and coacts with the side wall pads l2, 32 and with the mid-length engagement of the springs between the sides of their compartmentsat 32, 32 in aligning the springs are separate bearing bars Il, 4I extending to either side of the lug 41; and as indicated in Fig. 5, they lie at a slight angle to.one another and to the center. line of the bar 33, so that each of.

them lies at right angles to the spring 25 which I5a socketed to receive the ends of the transverse with the bearing ridge 35 and with .the'downturned end of the spring 25 to prevent endwise.

positions of the column 35 relative to the aper-- tured lower` bolster wall through which the column extends. 'I'he socketed engagement of the columns 35, 35 at the bottom of the side frame bolster window A(in the openings of the parts 23. I1). contributes to the effectiveness of this control of the columns by the leaf springs.

bridge bar 33a, and in having the upstandina' middle lug "a on the bar laoffset to one side, so that the groove in the bar 33a and the bearing bar or liner a extend past this lug from end to end of the bar 33d, without interruption. Furthermore, this'form of support 33a can readily be made from a rolled steel bar by merely cut- A ting on" suitable lengthsand welding the lug 41a to ch'suchlength; whereas the support ,33 of Figa 2-5 must be made as a special (die) forging or casting. A

It will be. appreciated `that -the use of our support 33 or 33a such as above disclosed materially reduces the com of the bolster I5 or ISJ, because it canbe manufactured in the same way as standard A. A. R. bolster: whereas a bolster with an' integral support across its iterior for the inner ends of the leaf springs, as disclosed in our Patent No. 2,199,907, requires the use of an entirely diiferent special system of cores in the molds for casting it. Furthermore, our construction does not require extreme accuracy as regards the relativeheights of the leaf -spring bearings 21, 2`|.and support 33 (or 33a) in the bolster and the camber loading of the leaf. spring in every instance.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: l. The combination of a hollow truck bolster, a separate spring-supporting bridge bar spanned across the interior of. said bolster, having its ends to eitherside of said lug, in the grooved upper side of said bridge bar.

2. The combination with a hollow'truck bolster having internal supporting lugs on its side walls, and also having internal projections on said walls adjacent said lugs; -of a separate spring-support# ing bridge bar spanned across the interior of said bolster with its ends fitting between said projections and resting on said lugs, and in socketed fixed to the bolster side Walls against turning in 10 anti-turning engagement with the lugs.

the bolster, and provided with an upstanding ,middle lug, and also having its upper side longitudinally grooved, and a bearing bar extending CHARLES D. BARRE'I'I'. CHARLES R. WHI'IEHEAD. 

